Seen or Unseen: 10/22/2007 Finance Committee Meeting

Most people have probably heard that quote about the conquerors writing the history books, and I think we have a massive case of that in Chico’s current council and administration. At every council meeting, I hear another hostile pronouncement about how bad the City’s finances are, and how no one ever told council, or the bad situation was being hidden, or how no information was provided, blah, blah, blah.

That rhetoric is getting a lot of buzz, especially with the help of the Chico Enterprise Record. But here’s the deal, folks: My memory is long, and my tolerance for this grandstanding has grown short. Luckily for me, there’s a solid paper trail to dispute the history that Chico’s conquerors are attempting to write. Unluckily for some of those council members, public records demonstrate that they are either lying now about not being told, or were too incompetent to be paying attention at the time they were told. Either way, I hope Chico’s citizens will keep that in mind when election time rolls around later this year.

Let’s start with the October 22, 2007 Finance Committee meeting. You’ll want to take a peek at the minutes — trust me, this is pure gold in our search for truth about who told the council what and when: Finance Committee Minutes.

Who was on the committee at that time? Mayor Gruendl was the chair, along with Mary Goloff (then Flynn) and Larry Wahl (now a Butte County Supervisor). The first item in the minutes clearly explains that this was the first of three evening meetings to discuss topics relating to the General and Park Funds’ structural (annual) deficit.

Following are excerpts from the Finance Director’s presentation to these city leaders:

The General Fund has had a structural deficit (annual expenses are greater than revenues) since 2001: Structural Deficit;

Revenues have been inadequate to meet demands for service, with a steep downward trend, since 2001: Revenue Trend; and

Deferred maintenance (specifically on roads) has been an ongoing concern, since the City has been transferring gas tax funds to the General Fund since 1990: Roads.

Thanks, Steve. Alicia has a mind like a steel trap where the budget is concerned. It’s going to get way more uncomfortable for them before it gets easier. They should have just hushed and moved forward instead of pointing fingers and then scurrying for cover.

The Chico ER, and its editor, should hang their heads in shame for being so journalistically inept. The issues being constantly discussed in this site, are exactly what any newspaper professional worth their salt should be investigating and reporting about on an almost daily basis. Constantly mining for facts and digging for the truth in crazy places like . . . minutes, and other public records. Unfortunately for the tax payers of Chico, their local paper wants no part of that noble endeavor. What a joke!!!